Three burning questions facing Deion Sanders as Colorado continues downward spiral in 2025

Deion Sanders had no explanation for Colorado's failure to show up over the weekend at Utah, a disheartening loss for the Buffaloes that raises doubts during a season that began with great optimism in Boulder. Should this be a sign of things to come for a program struggling through a top-heavy Big 12 schedule with questions surrounding personnel, execution and trajectory? 

 After winning nine games last fall culminating with their first appearance in the Alamo Bowl since 2020, the Buffaloes are two losses away from missing the postseason for the second time in three years under Sanders. They host Arizona on Saturday, whose lost consecutive one-possession games against BYU and Houston. 

Here are three burning questions facing Coach Prime the rest of the way after a discussion with BuffStampede publisher Adam Munsterteiger this week:

1. Will Sanders make tough managerial decisions?

Scheduled to be a retooling year after losing Shedeur Sanders and Heisman winner Travis Hunter to the NFL Draft, Colorado is enduring an unexpected rebuild that could lead to a full teardown of several processes if lackluster play continues. Sanders struggled to pinpoint why his team was losing close games early, before Saturday night's no-show at Utah sounded several alarms.

The 46-point drubbing was the worst loss of his coaching career and brought immediate accountability from the third-year coach. Uninspired, unprepared and overmatched, the Buffaloes trailed 43-0 at halftime coming out of an open date -- a poor look considering they had just beaten Iowa State earlier this month to snap a two-game Big 12 skid.

"There has been a lack of leadership in the locker room this season, and that showed itself in Salt Lake City," Munsterteiger told CBS Sports. "Sanders has shown a willingness to make tough decisions and changes with his coaching staff previously. I would expect there to be adjustments to his staff in the near future, whether that comes in the next month or after the season."

Sanders hasn't yet made a coordinator change at Colorado, but this season may call for one. Charles Kelly left for an assistant position at Auburn in 2023 following Colorado's 4-8 finish, after which Sanders hired Robert Livingston -- formerly a secondary coach with the Bengals -- to run his defense.

Pat Shurmur has been with Sanders since his arrival from Jackson State, initially serving as an offensive analyst before Sean Lewis was demoted from his OC role and later departed to become head coach at San Diego State.

Colorado hasn't met expectations this season, and the onus will be on Sanders to make changes where he deems fit at year's end.

2. Can Colorado's struggling offense be fixed?

The Buffaloes have played musical chairs at quarterback this season, hoping Liberty transfer Kaidon Salter or veteran Ryan Staub would take control of the position. Instead, Colorado ranks 14th in the Big 12 in passing offense, scoring offense and explosive plays. The offensive line remains a problem, and the lack of a running game -- 99th nationally at 130 yards per game -- leaves the offense at a schematic disadvantage.

Coy with his quarterback decision early on -- outside of admitting freshman Julian Lewis wasn't ready -- Sanders has turned to Salter for the last five games. That came after Staub came off the bench to spark a win over Delaware in Week 2 before losing his only start at Houston the following weekend.

In four Big 12 starts, Salter has thrown five touchdown passes with five interceptions, while his dual-threat ability has been limited to just 2.4 yards per carry.

"All four of Colorado's remaining regular-season opponents rank seventh or worse in the Big 12 in scoring defense, so that could help," Munsterteiger said. "But it's hard to have much faith in Colorado's offense at this point, between Pat Shurmur's unimaginative play-calling and Kaidon Salter's inconsistent play behind center."

Omarion Miller and Joseph Williams lead the team in catches, yards and touchdowns, but the absence of game-breaking production that Travis Hunter, LaJohntay Wester, Will Sheppard and Jimmy Horn Jr. provided last season has been glaring.

That's not all on play-calling, but the explosive plays simply haven't been there — outside of a few catch-and-runs from Miller and a 71-yard reception from Sincere Brown. With his arm talent, Shedeur Sanders was able to mask many of Colorado's deficiencies in 2024, weaknesses that have been magnified in his absence.

3. Does Sanders have job security?

Considering Sanders signed a five-year, $54 million extension this spring that pushed him into college football's top 10 highest-paid coaches, he's not going anywhere from a performance standpoint. He's not on the hot seat, and Colorado's administration understands he's already elevated the program beyond anything it's seen in more than a decade in terms of national relevance. Still, like any head coach following what's shaping up to be a losing season, Sanders will be expected to make changes to his staff.

"Colorado won nine games under Sanders in 2024, just two years after the Buffaloes fielded the worst FBS program, so there needs to be some big-picture perspective," Munsterteiger said. "Despite the team's disappointing 3-5 start, Coach Prime has proven he can attract talent to Boulder. They'll need to find more leadership out of the portal this offseason, and Sanders will likely have to make some tough staff decisions."

From a health standpoint, Sanders told The Associated Press this week that he's only focused on winning and is a "one-day-at-a-time type of guy" when it comes to his future next season and beyond.

"My health is not going to increase sitting on the lake fishing," Sanders said. "My health is not going to increase sitting at my property in Texas, having a good time or sitting back, drinking some sweet iced teas and eating some honey buns and watching television. I'm not damaging or putting my health at risk by doing what I'm doing. Matter of fact, it's enhancing my health, doing the things I do."

After a loss to TCU earlier this month, Sanders said he was "hurting like crazy" due to pain associated with blood clots in his legs. He underwent emergency surgery to treat persistent blood clots in June 2023 and previously had two toes amputated at Jackson State as a result of similar issues.

Sanders also beat bladder cancer over the summer, and he insists his ongoing health challenges don't interfere with his goal of building Colorado into a national power.

"I don't get too high and I never get too low," Sanders said this week. "I have the baseball player's mentality. Football players, you can bask in the glory for six days when you win, or you have to suffer the consequences for six days if you lose. But a baseball player -- you've got to line up every day."

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